Adjustable frame



Jan. 2, 1940.

G. E. SHIPWAY El AL ADJUSTABLE FRAME Filed May 21, 19s? 4 Sheets-Sheet lm m R H m r Wm I W A Tl W50 F. 0U rLO 6L8 1940- G. E. SHIPWAY El AL ,5

ADJUSTABLE FRAME Filed May 21, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 III a \Z'\ I I g5 I1 l8 l8 r y 5 38 sa v20 INVENTORS.

' GEORGE E. SHIPWAY LOUIS M. TEUBER BY Q Kim ATTORNEY.

1940- G. E. SHIPWAY ET AL 0 ADJUSTABLE FRAME Filed May 21, 1937 4Sheets-Sheet 5 l INVENTOR5.

GEORGE E. SHIPWAY LOUIS M.STEUB R BY Q A-TTORNEY.

J G. E. SHIPWAY El" AL 85,

ADJUSTABLE FRAME Filed May 21, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIRES.

I 18 INVENT ORSL GEORGE E. SHIPWAY LOUIS M. EUBE TW Q ATQTORNEY PatentedJan. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE FRAME ApplicationMay 21, 1937, Serial No. 143,904

10 Claims.

This invention relates to building structures, and more particularly tobuilding light and entrance opening frames, such as door frames andwindow frames.

It is customary for door and window frames to be assembled at thefactory or miil.and delivered to the site of the building operation incondition for rapid erection. This reduces the amount of labor requiredat the site of the building operation, and also enables door and windowframes to be more accurately constructed because of the betterfacilities present in a mill or factory for aligning the variouselements during their assembly.

This procedure has been successful heretofore because the wall surfacecoatings predominantly used have been plaster coatings, and anyvariations in the sizes of frame members could be compensated for byvarying the thickness of the plaster coats and thereby make all walls ofthe same thickness to correspond to a standard width for the sidemembers of door and window frames. That is, door frames or windowframes, could be made with the jambs of standard width and anyvariations in the size of the studs used in the construction of wallscould be compensated by varying the thickness of the plaster coat tobring the face of the finish coat flush with the edge of the door jamb.It is found in practice that the socalled 2 by 4 inch studding vary inwidth as much as A to of an inch in lots obtained from differentsources. When this variation in width could be easily compensated for byvariation in the thickness of the plaster coat, the varying stud sizepresented little or no problem, but with the advent of dry wallconstructions involving the use of composition boards which are of afixed thickness, this variation in stud sizes could not be easilycompensated for and has presented a distinct problem. For example, adoor or window jamb of a standard width would project beyond the facesof a wall formed of undersized studding faced with plaster board, andwould be too narrow and would not have its edges flush with the wallfaces of a wall formed by wall boards placed over oversized studding.

It is an object of the present invention to provide adjustable framesfor building light and entrance opening closures which can be assembledat the factory or mill, and adjusted to accurately conform to any normalvariation encountered in the widths of studding employed in buildingoperations.

It is a further object of this invention to provide adjustable door andwindow frames which can be rapidly assembled in position in a buildingstructure with a minimum of labor and a maximum of accuracy.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention, if notparticularly pointed out, will be 5 apparent to those skilled in the artfrom the following detailed description of what are now considered to bethe preferred embodiments of the present invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a door frame constructed inaccordance with the present invention and with the door hung inposition;

Fig. 2 is an elevational sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1,and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. l, andlooking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 andlooking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, andlooking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is an eievational side view of a window frame constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevational view taken on line of Fig. 6 andlooking in the direction 3" of the arrows;

Fig. 8 is a detailed side view of a portion of the top of a window frameshowing a clip or angle assembly constituting a feature of the presentinvention;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal, sectional View taken on line 99 of Fig. 6, andlooking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line ill-10 of Fig. 9and looking in the direc- 40 tion of the arrows, and shown on a slightlyenlarged scale with some of the elements omitted to more clearlydisclose the structural features, and

Fig. 11 is a side view of the section shown in Fig. 10.

Referring to Fig. 1, a door I is shown hung in position in a door frame2. The door frame 2 (see Figs. 2 and 3) comprises a jamb for each sideof the frame formed of sections 4 and 6. The W sections 4 on oppositesides of the frame are connected by a. head piece 8, and the sections 6on opposite sides of the frame are connected by a head piece I 0. I

Clip members or angles l2 each have one leg u M fastened to the back ofone of the jamb sections and the other leg l6 fastened by nails orscrews to a door buck l8 formed of a double stud member or a single studmember as may be desired. The back of a jamb and the attached angles areshown in Fig. 4. This figure is shown on a slightly enlarged scale withsome of the elements omitted to more clearly disclose the structuralfeatures, and shows the stud forming the door buck 18 cut away in thecenter for the purpose of clearly disclosing the manner of connectingthe angles to the jamb sections and to the door buck.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, an angle is shown having one leg l4 screwedto the back of a jamb section 6 and extending crosswise of the jambsection 6 and also of the j amb section 4. Another clip is shownpositioned below the clip just described, having one leg l4 screwed tothe back of the jamb section 4 and extending crosswise of this sectionand also of the jamb section 6 The right angled leg "5 of each of theseclips is nailed or screwed to the door buck as shown at 20. As many ofthese clips as may be desired may be positioned along the door jamb oneach side of the door frame, and clips may also be fastened to the headpieces 8 and I0 if desired. It has been found that 6 clips, placed inpairs along each door jamb, are suflicient to rigidly fasten each doorto the adjacent door buck.

A screw 22 is passed through a hole 24 in the jamb section 6 and screwedinto the jamb section 4 to draw the jamb sections 4 and 6 towards eachother during assembly of the frame incidental to incorporation of thesame in the building structure.

A door frame comprising opposite jambs connected by a head piece can becompletely assembled at the mill or factory. This is effected byfastening the angle members to the jamb sections, sliding the sectionstogether, inserting the screws 22 to prevent the jamb sections fromseparating, and driving a nail partly into each jamb through a nailinghole 26 provided in the unattached portion of the crosswise extendingleg of each angle to prevent the jamb sections 4 and 6 from slidingtoward each during shipment. The nails in the nailing openings 28 areremoved before final erection of the frame.

When the frame arrives at the site of the building operations, the nailsin the nail holes 26 are withdrawn, the screws 22 are removed and thejamb sections are separated. The frame section formed by jamb sections 4and their connecting head piece 8 is slipped in place in the dooropening and washers 28 or wedges 30 are placed between the legs of theangles to position the lamb sections 4 so that their side faces 32 arein line with the face 34 of the wall, which is usually formed ofcomposition boards but may be plaster if so desired. Nails 2!) are thenpassed through suitable openings in the leg I6 to fasten the lambsections 4 in position.

The frame section comprising the jamb sections 6 and their connectinghead piece I0 is then slipped into the door opening from the oppositeside of the wall and the edges of the frame sections 6 are aligned withthe face of the wall in the same manner as that described above, and thelegs I6 are nailed or screwed to the door buck. The screws 22 are thenpassed through openings 24 in one of the jamb sections, which has beenshown for the purpose of illustration as jamb section 5, and screwedinto the other jamb section, which in the present instance is jambsection 4,

to rigidly lock the jamb sections together. A

stop strip 36 is then nailed or screwed to the jamb sections 4 and 6over the joint therebetween on each side of the door frame. The trimpieces 38 are then suitably fastened in place, and a door I is hunginthe usual manner. 7

If desired, the door may be hung initially at the factory, shipped tothe site of the building operations assembled in the frame, and removedduring' installation of the frame as described above, and then replaced.During assembly of the jamb sections, the legs l4 which extend crosswiseof the backs of the jamb sections serve as guides for the last jambsection placed in position and thereby automatically properly align thejamb sections.

During shipment of the door frame the temporary member 40 (see Fig. 1)may be nailed across the bottom of the jamb sections to prevent theirseparation. A conventional saddle 42 is substituted for member 40 whenthe door frame is finally installed.

Referring to Fig. 6 a window frame is shown which is constructed inaccordance with the present invention. The window frame is constructedin substantially the same manner as the door frame just described andcommon parts throughout have been designated by the same referencenumerals in order to avoid repetition. Only those parts of the windowframe which do not exist in the door frame will be describedin detail.

The main difference inthe construction of the window frame from theconstruction of the door frame resides in the joint between the jambsections 4 and 6. The jamb sections 4 and 6 are rabbeted out as shown at44 to enable a part of one section to slide over a part of the othersection during assembly, and overlap each other in the finishedstructure, and thereby provide a stronger frame. This overlappingrelationship of the sections 4 and 6 could also be embodied in the doorframe, if such is desired, but it is a more expensive construction andwill usually be omitted.

This overlapping construction could also be omitted from the windowframe if an extremely rigid frame is not required.

Jamb members 4 and 6 extend horizontally and are connected to the sidemembers 4 and 6, respectively, to form the top of the window frame.

Clips or angles l2 are connected to the horizontally extending members 4and G and to a frame member l8, corresponding to the side studs l8,

in the same manner as the clips 12 on the sides of the frame. Theconstruction forming the top of the window frame is identical in allrespects with the construction of the sides or jambs.

In Fig. 10, the jamb sections 4 and 6 are shown in dotted lines in orderto more clearly show the manner in which the angles l2 are attached tothe studs forming the buck 18. v

A sash guide 48 is fastened over the joint between the jamb members 4and 6, and an intermediate sash guide 50, is suitably connected to eachjamb section 4, as by being seated in a groove 52, to provide guides forthe window sash 54.

An end piece 56 is suitably fastened to the outermost end face of eachjamb section 4 to act as a sash guide and a nailing base for the outsidewindow trim 58.

The window frames are assembled at the mill, and installed in thebuilding structure in exactly the same manner as the door frames. Aconventional sill 60 is placed across the bottom of each window frame.

The foregoing details have been given for the purpose of description andare not to be considered as limitative since the invention may take manydifi'erent forms and is to be limited only by the scope of the appendedclaims.

What we claim is:

1. A building wall opening closure frame comprising a jamb section, anangle member having one leg connected to and extending crosswise of theback of the jamb section, and the other leg projecting away from thejamb section and positioned and constructed for attachment to the wall,a second jamb section adjacent to the first jamb section and contactingat the back with the crosswise extending leg of the angle member, and asecond angle member having one leg connected to and extending crosswiseof the back of the second jamb section and contacting with the back ofthe first jamb section, and the other leg projecting away from thesecond jamb section and positioned and constructed for attachment to thewall.

2. A building wall opening closure frame comprising a jamb section, aplurality of angle members, each having one leg connected to andextending crosswise of the back of the jamb section, and the other legprojecting away from the jamb section and positioned and constructed forattachment to the wall, a second jamb section adjacent to the first jambsection and contacting at the back, with the crosswise extending legs ofthe angle members, and a plurality of angle members, each having one legconnected to and extending crosswise of the back of the second jambsection and contacting with the back of the first jamb section, and theother leg projecting away from the second jamb member and positioned andconstructed for attachment to the wall.

3. A building wall opening closure frame comprising a jamb section, anangle member having one leg connected to and extending crosswise of theback of the jamb section, and the other leg projecting away from thejamb section and positioned and constructed for attachment to the wall,a second jamb section adjacent to the first jamb section and contactingat, the back with the crosswise extending leg of the angle member, asecond angle member having one leg connected to and extending crosswiseof the back of the second jamb section and contacting with the back ofthe first jamb section, and the other leg projecting away from thesecond jamb section and positioned and constructed for attachment to thewall, and means for drawing the jamb sections toward one another.

4. A door frame comprising a .jamb formed of two adjacent sections, adoor buck, a member having one leg extending crosswise of the backs ofthe jamb sections and connected to one of the sections, and a second legextending at an angle to said first leg attached to the buck, and asecond member having one leg extending crosswise of the backs of thejamb sections and connected to the other of the sections, and a secondleg extending at an angle to the first leg attached to the buck.

5. A door frame comprising a jamb formed of two adjacent sections, adoor buck, an angle member having one leg extending crosswise of thebacks of the jamb sections and contacting therewith and connected toonly one of them, and

a second leg attached to the door buck, a second angle member having oneleg extending crosswise of the backs of the jamb sections and contactingtherewith and connected to only the other of the sections, and a secondleg attached to the door buck, means for drawing the jamb sectionstoward each other, and a stop strip positioned over the joint betweenthe jamb sections.

6. A window frame comprising a jamb section having a rabbet edge, asecond jamb section having a rabbet edge overlying the rabbet edge ofthe first section, an angle member having one leg extending crosswise ofthe backs of the jamb sections and connected to only one of thesections, and the other leg projecting away from the jamb sections, asecond angle member having one leg extending crosswise of the backs ofthe jamb sections and connected to only the other of the sections, andthe other leg projecting away from the jamb sections, screw means fordrawing the jamb sections toward each other, and a sash guide positionedover the joint between the jamb sections.

7. An adjustable window frame comprising a jamb section, an angle memberhaving one leg extending crosswise of and connected to the back of thejamb section and the other leg extending away from the section, a secondjamb section adjacent to the first section and contacting at the backwith the crosswise extending leg of the angle member, and a second anglemember having one leg extending crosswise of and connected to theback'of the second jamb section and contacting with the back of thefirst jamb section, and the other leg extending away from the jambsections, and means for relatively moving said jamb sections to varytheir combined width.

8. A door frame including a door buck and a jamb, said jamb comprisingtwo adjacent sections, members attached to each section and each of saidmembers in guiding and supporting contact with the other section andmeans separately securing each member to the door buck.

9. A door frame comprising a door buck and a jamb, said jamb includingtwo adjacent sections lying in substantial parallelism to the face ofthe door buck, members attached to each section and each of said membersin guiding and supporting contact with the other section and includingportions extending at an angle to the attached portions and secured tothe door buck.

10. A building wall opening closure frame comprising a jamb section, anangle member having one leg connected to and extending crosswise of theback of the jamb section, and the other leg projecting away from thejamb section for attachment to a wall, a second jamb section arranged tolie adjacent to the first jamb section and to contact at. the back withthe crosswise extending leg of said angle member, and a second anglemember having one leg connected to and extending crosswise of the backof the second jamb section and arranged to contactwith the back of thefirst jamb section, and the other leg projecting away from the firstjamb section for attachment to the wall.

GEORGE E. SHIPWAY. LOUIS M. STEUBER.

